Use the best flight search engines

All search engines have inflated flight costs as part of taking a cut from the airlines. Some search engines (e.g. Expedia) consistently inflate much higher than others (listed below). It pays to familiarise yourself with sites that offer the best prices.

Although we’ve listed broad search engines here, note that many do not include budget airlines. If this is what you’re after, do an additional search for regional budget airlines (we’ve listed as many we know of further below).

Finally, no single search engine is consistently perfect (though we find Skyscanner to be pretty good). As such, you may need to try a combination of search engines to ensure you’re not missing any results. There doesn’t seem to be one that gets the cheapest flight 100% of the time.

Befriend budget airlines

Budget airlines offer significantly cheaper tickets than their full-service counterparts. It should be obvious, but this comes with compromises such as less leg room and no “free” food/drink on-board (which by the way, is normally covered in your higher-priced ticket with full-service airlines).

Below is a comprehensive list of budget airlines around the globe. Red indicates true budget airlines while blue implies the cheapest companies available where budget airlines don’t exist or aren’t plentiful.

But First… A NOTE ON BOOKING BUDGET AIRLINES.Always read the fine print and do the following:

Check where the airport location is (some budget airlines fly to airports further out of town).

Ensure you’ve booked & paid for your luggage allowance. Adhere to restrictions on weight, height, and # of bags allowed. Some airlines (e.g. Ryanair) will charge hefty fee if you’re over. Remember, paying only for the exact luggage space/weight you need is how budget airlines keep their prices lower than traditional airlines!

Read the fine print. The best example is that Ryanair WILL CHARGE A FEE if you do not print your own ticket or adhere to their strict luggage weight and dimensions. A warning of this fee is clearly stated in all capital letters in the first sentence of your e-confirmation. In a nutshell, always read and follow instructions!

Remember, if you want to book the cheapest flight possible (not service-of-the-year-award-winner), be adaptable, do your research, and know the budget airline’s requirements & restrictions.

Europe

If you’re heading to any of these parts of the globe, start stalking these airlines. Use Twitter, Facebook or regularly check budget airline webpages to keep you in touch with specials before they sell out. Air Asia, Jetstar, Tiger Air and Ryanair are especially good at having regular deals.

On a side note, Wikipedia has a more detailed, comprehensive listing of low-cost airlines down to specific countries here, though I don’t find all of them to be actual discount airlines. If you’re going to a specific country, it’s worth checking so you know all your options.